The Migrant Junior Otter program based at CSU Monterey Bay has won another award, the second time it has been honored in its short history.

The program was recognized in 2010 at the National Migrant Education Conference as an outstanding example of a collaborative effort. This year, it was selected for a Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association.

Golden Bell Awards promote excellence in education by recognizing outstanding programs in school districts and county offices of education. They reflect the depth and breadth of education programs necessary to address students’ changing needs.

For a month each summer, 250 fourth through eighth graders get a taste of what it’s like to be a college student. They take classes on the CSUMB campus in language arts and math, performing arts and technology. And they are introduced to college life and learn what it takes to be a successful student.

The university partners with the Monterey County Office of Education and El Teatro Campesino – the San Juan Bautista theater group founded by Luis Valdez – to provide the program.

And it is proving to be a successful collaboration. At the 2011 session, Carl del Grande, administrator for Migrant Education Region XVI, said students who participated in 2010 showed a 25 percent increase in proficiency in English by the end of the program and a 33 percent increase in math.

Perry Angle, director of early outreach and support programs at CSUMB, as well as representatives from the MCOE and El Teatro will attend the awards ceremony in San Diego on Dec. 3.

Learn more about the Migrant Junior Otter program here.

Learn more about CSUMB's early outreach and support programs here.